Just like start-ups taking a different path to find solutions to problems, the Meghalaya government wants to chart out a different plan to make use of a fruit wealth that has been long neglected.

Though the State has more than a million jackfruit trees, nearly three-fourth of the fruit production goes waste as there is hardly any market for jackfruit. The State government estimates that even if 10 per cent of the total production of the jackfruit is tapped and channelised into the value chain, it would potentially generate livelihood for 20,000 households.

Start-up funding

To tap this potential, the Meghalaya government now wants to promote 50 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 200 nano-enterprises (basically focusing on women homemakers) in jackfruit sector in the next five years through start-up funding model. KN Kumar, Agricultural Production Commissioner of Meghalaya and Additional Chief Secretary, told BusinessLine that jackfruit grows in the wild and is also cultivated in Meghalaya.

The loss due to the wastage in Garo hills region alone is estimated at around ₹400 crore a year, he said, adding: “We need to generate economic activity around the jackfruit and create gainful employment to the rural people.”

The Meghalaya government’s draft mission document on jackfruit wants to prevent this wastage by supporting enterprises through start-up funding model. The mission seeks to earmark around ₹8 crore for promoting 50 SMEs and 200 nano-enterprises.

Stressing the need for skill formation for the start-up funding model to succeed, Kumar said the Home Science College in Tura, the district rural development agencies, Meghalaya’s Directorate of Food Processing and the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship have been enlisted in this effort.

He said that 200 nano-enterprises are home-scale units. The homemakers are very resilient when it comes to generating additional income for the family once the skills are properly formed. They don’t let go, he said.

‘Ideal for agri start-ups’

BK Sohilya, Director of Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship, said Meghalaya is primarily a State with rich natural resources, and it is ideally suited for start-ups in agricultural space.

Jackfruit offers tremendous scope for enterprise and nano-enterprises by homemakers. But they need seed capital. However, the ticket size of start-up capital for nano-enterprises will be too small for banks to service. He said a combination of such factors made the government to think of a start-up fund for SMEs, youths and homemakers across the State.

Sohilya said Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who holds an MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA (finance) from Imperial College of London, understands the potential of jackfruit in the economic development of the State.

Charting new course

The State government is keen to do something for farmers and not afraid of new ideas. “We have a government that is ready to take up challenges, and try something new,” he said.

Shree Padre, a progressive farmer from northern Kerala, who has been creating awareness on the potential of jackfruit and its contribution to the economy, told BusinessLine that Meghalaya’s experiment is a model for other States that have abundant jackfruit production.

comment COMMENT NOW